Equipment for respiratory treatment



967 J. R. GROSHOLZ EQUIPMENT FOR RESPIRATORY TREATMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 26, 1963 m ATTO NEYS y 967 J. R. GROSHOLZ 331,30

QUIPMENT FOR RESPIRATORY TREATMENT Filed Nov. 26, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet B TTORNEYS Patented May 9, 1967 3,318,308 EQUIPMENT FUR RESPIRATORY TREATMENT James R. Grosholz, Straiford, Pat, assignor to Air-Shields, Inc, Hatboro, Pa., a. corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 26, 1963, Ser. No. 325,994 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-191) This invention relates to equipment for respiratory treatment and, although not limited thereto, the equipment is particularly well suited to the respiratory treatment of infants, for instance in the treatment of croup and like respiratory ailments.

An important object of the invention is to provide a simple, safe and convenient form of apparatus adapted to provide a humidified and, if desired, cooled atmosphere for a patient.

Among other objects of the invention are the provision of equipment for the purposes above noted, the parts of which are cabable of convenient disassembly for cleaning and sterilization and also for convenient and foolproof assembly.

Another object of the invention is the arrangement of equipment of this type for quick and yet secure mounting on the patients bed, and convenient dismounting and folding of parts thereof for stow-age.

How the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained will appear more fully from the accompanying drawings taken with the following description, the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the equipment. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the equipment of the invention as applied to a crib or infants bed;

FIGURE 2 is a view on an enlarged scale taken in vertical section through the air conditioning portions of the equipment and showing also certain other parts in elevation, this view being taken as indicated by the line 22 on FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view through portions of the equipment as in FIGURE 2, but taken as indicated by the line 33 on FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view of a portion of the equipment showing the association therewith of a nebulizer for introducing a medicament into the air being circulated by the apparatus; and

FIGURE 5 is a view on a reduced scale as compared with the other figures, illustrating the manner of folding portions of the equipment for stowage.

The equipment of the invention is adapted to be mounted by means of a post or column comprising external and internal telescopic parts 6 and 7 adapted to be secured to each other in any desired telescoped relation by means of the knurled clamping nut 8 of known type. A bracket structure 9 is mounted on the outer telescopic member 6 and is provided with a pair of hook members 10 adapted to engage over the upper edge of a bed frame, such as the head end frame structure indicated at 11 in FIGURE 1. The lower or inner telescopic member 7 of the supporting posts is provided with a hook member 12 adapted to engage under the bed frame, in the manner clearly indicated in the drawings. By this arrangement the equipment of the invention may be variously mounted on bed structures of different types, merely by adjustment of the telescoped position of the post members 6 and 7. The bracket structure 9 is provided with a shelf-like support 9a for mounting the air conditioning equipment itself, the structure of which is described hereinafter.

At the upper end of the post member 6 a tubular socket 13 is provided for mounting the base end part 14 of a U-shaped frame member having side legs 15 projecting toward the opposite end of the bed on which the equipment is mounted. This frame 14, 15, 15 serves to support an enclosure or tent 16 by means of strap loops 17 which may readily he slid into and off of the free ends of the side members 15 of the frame. This provides for sup port of the tent over the bed and thus provides an enclosure for the conditioned air supplied for treatment of the patient. Advantageously the tent itself is made up of transparent plastic film as is well known for such purposes.

The end wall of the tent adjacent to the air-conditioning equipment is provided with a pair of openings formed in the center of insets '18 of distensible material so that the ducts or pipes 19 and 20 may be inserted therethrough in order to provide the desired air circulation to and from the enclosure provided by the tent.

Turning now to the arrangement of the air-conditioning equipment itself, particular reference is made to FIG- URES 2 and 3 from which it will be seen that the equipment comprises an outer open-topped receptacle 21 of elongated rectangular plan form, this receptacle being adapted to be supported on the shelf part 9a of the bracket 9. Received within the receptacle 21 is another receptacle 22 of similar elongated rectangular plan form, but

of somewhat smaller size than the receptacle 21 so as to provide an interspace between the side, end and bottom walls of the two receptacles. The upper edge of the space between the side and end walls of the receptacles is desirably closed and this is preferably accomplished by providing a flange 23 on the upper edge of the inner receptacle 22, the flange being adapted to extend outwardly over the interspace between the two receptacles and having a downturned lip fitting over the outside of the upper edge of the outer receptacle. A sealing gasket may be provided between the flange 23 and the upper edge of the receptacle 21. The receptacle 22 is provided with two vertically extended tubes 24, 24 which are symmetrically arranged with respect to the receptacle 22 and each of which is secured in and opens through the bottom wall of that receptacle. The upper end of each of these tubes is open and is adapted to receive the spigot 25 or 26 which is placed in communication with pipes 19 or 20 by means of the connecting chambers 27 or 28. The connections between the air-conditioning equipment and the tent, one of which comprises parts 25, 27 and 19, and the other of which comprises parts 26, 28 and 20, are each readily separable from the upright tubes 24 and may also be turned somewhat in the tubes so as to readily adapt the apparatus to connection with the openings provided in the tent.

Toward one end of the outer receptacle 21 there is provided a humidifying device indicated generally at 29. The details of this device need not be considered herein as they form no part of the present invention per se, but for further information reference may be made to the Grosholz patent No. 2,878,067, issued March 17, 1959. This device is operated by air pressure supplied for example from a connection 30 which serves to develop a mist from the water supply in the device 29 and also, by discharge through the upwardly directed nozzle 31, to cause upward air flow or circulation through the overlying tube 24 and thence through the communicating parts 26, 2'8 and 20 to the interior of the tent 16. The circulation of air through the system is assured by virtue of the action of the jet '31 delivering into the associated tube 24, the lower end of which latter comes close to the bottom of the outside receptacle 21, thereby acting to reduce the pressure in the interspace between the receptacles, and thus draw air into the other of two tubes 24 from the tent. Return circulation of air is provided for by the connections 19, 27 and 25, which communicate with the upper end of the other upright tube 24. From this point the air circulates in the interspace between the two receptacles,

upright post member 6 (see FIGURES 2 and 3).

ultimately returning to the lower end of the first tube 24 and being recirculated upwardly therethrough and into the tent.

The inner receptacle 22 is adapted to contain a cooling bath, advantageously ice in water and in this way effective cooling action is brought about with reference to the circulating air, since the air not only comes in contact with theoutside surfaces of the inner receptacle 22 but a so with the inside surfaces of the vertical tubes 24 which are also subject to the cooling action of the ice bath.

Centrally located in the bottom wall of the inner receptacle 22 is a drain connection 32 which extends downwardly through a central opening in the bottom wall of the outer receptacle 21, the lower end of the drain connection 32 being provided with a flexible drain tube 33 which may be fastened as at 34 in a position to prevent drainage from the inner receptacle or which may be released therefrom and employed for gravity drain of the water from the cooling chamber. Surrounding the drain opening in the bottom wall of the outer receptacle is a rubber grommet 35 adapted to engage the bottom wall of the inner receptacle 22 and thereby prevent any appreciable ingress of air into the interspa-ce between the two receptacles under the influence of the reduced pressure caused by the action of the jet 31. The sealing gasket employed between the flange 23 and theupper edge of the outer receptacle 21 is also of importance in preventing ingress of air. Such ingress of air would adversely influence the intended oxygen concentration maintained in the tent.

It will be noted in connection with the foregoing that the central location of the drain tube 32 and also the symmetrical arrangement of the air tubes 24 provide for assembly of the two receptacles in either end-to-end relation. This invertibility aids in making the equipment foolproof, since it is not necessary to assemble these parts in any particular end-to-end relation. The outer receptacle 21 is also invertible in position, which is of advantage as it permits location of the humidifying device 29 towards either side of the bed, according to the location of the'pressure air supply for its operation.

The air-conditioning equipment as above described provides not only for effective humidification of the air but also for substantial cooling action which may readily be adjusted by the level to which the ice bath is filled in the inner receptacle.

If it is desired to introduce a medicament into the air circulation system this may be accomplished in the manner indicated in FIGURES 3 and 4, by removal of the cork or plug 36 in the aperture provided in the connecting box 28, and the attachment of a medicament nebulizer such as that shown for example at 37 in FIG- I URE 4 which will serve to introduce a medicament in atomized form into the air stream.

The frame 14, 15, 15 for supporting the tent as already noted above is mounted by means of the socket 13 arranged at the top of the post member 6. The frame is adapted to be supported in the horizontal position by means of a limiting stop 38 which is connected with the frame member .14 and is. positioned to bear against the The frame may also be swung around upwardly and over and thence downwardly in the manner indicated in FIGURE 5 by the arrow 39. This provides a position, shown in dotted lines, in which the two frame members-15, 15 in effect become two legs of a tripod, the third leg being represented by the supporting post -6, '7. This provides for convenient stowage of the equipment when it is not in use. The air-conditioning apparatus including the tanks 21 and 22 may if desired be located on the shelf 9a when the equipment is stored. A spring pressed plunger 40 may be employed for retaining the tent supporting frame in either the position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 5 or the position shown in full lines in FIGURES l and 5.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for use in treating respiratory ailments and adapted for use with a tent providing an enclosure for a patient on a bed, the apparatus comprising an outer elongated open topped receptacle providing an air chamber and having means for mounting said outer receptacle on the bed frame with the long dimension paralleling a side of the tent, an inner elongated open topped receptacle providing a cooling chamber and being of smaller length and width than the outer receptacle and positioned within the outer receptacle with intervening space between the sides and bottom of the two receptacles, means adjacent the top edges of the receptacles for closing the space between the sides thereof, a pair of upright tubes with their lower ends secured to and opening through the bottom wall of the inner receptacle, separable connectors for coupling the upper ends of said tubes with the interior of the tent, and means associated with the bottom wall of the outer receptacle in the region of the lower end of one of the tubes for establishing an upward flow of air therein and thereby effect circulation of air into the tent and from the tent back into and downwardly through the other of the tubes and thence through the space between the receptacles to the lower end of the first tube.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the two tubes of the pair are symmetrically arranged with respect to the ends of the inner receptacle and in which the inner receptacle is removable from the outer receptacle and is replaceable therein in either end-to-end position.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the inner receptacle has a drain extended downwardly from the center of the bottom thereof, the outer receptacle having an aperture in the center of the bottom thereof to pass the drain and in which the two tubes of the pair are symmetrically arranged with respect to the ends of the inner receptacle and in which the inner receptacle is removable from the outer receptacle and is replaceable therein in either end-to-end position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 553,175 1/1896 McNeil 62-464 1,957,210 5/1934 I-Ieidbrink 128-191 X 2,202,953 6/1940 Kessler 128191 2,470,587 5/1949 Taylor l28--191 2,603,214 7/1952 Taylor 128-191 2,802,347 8/1957 Marcus 62-459 X 3,075,523 1/1963 Eichelmann 12819l FOREIGN PATENTS 973,081 9/1950 France.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT E. MORGAN, Examiner.

W. E. KAMM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR USE IN TREATING RESPIRATORY ALIMENTS AND ADAPTED FOR USE WITH A TENT PROVIDING AN ENCLOSURE FOR A PATIENT ON A BED, THE APPARATUS COMPRISING AN OUTER ELONGATED OPEN TOPPED RECEPTACLE PROVIDING AN AIR CHAMBER AND HAVING MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID OUTER RECEPTACLE ON THE BED FRAME WITH THE LONG DIMENSION PARALLELING A SIDE OF THE TENT, AN INNER ELONGATED OPEN TOPPED RECEPTACLE PROVIDING A COOLING CHAMBER AND BEING OF SMALLER LENGTH AND WIDTH THAN THE OUTER RECEPTACLE AND POSITIONED WITHIN THE OUTER RECEPTACLE WITH INTERVENING SPACE BETWEEN THE SIDES AND BOTTOM OF THE TWO RECEPTACLES, MEANS ADJACENT THE TOP EDGES OF THE RECEPTACLES FOR CLOSING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SIDES THEREOF, A PAIR OF UPRIGHT TUBES WITH THEIR LOWER ENDS SECURED TO AND OPENING THROUGH THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE INNER RECEPTACLE, SEPARABLE CONNECTORS FOR COUPLING THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID TUBES WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE TENT, AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE OUTER RECEPTACLE IN THE REGION OF THE LOWER END OF ONE OF THE TUBES FOR ESTABLISHING AN UPWARD FLOW OF AIR THEREIN AND THEREBY EFFECT CIRCULATION OF AIR INTO THE TENT AND FROM THE TENT BACK INTO AND DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE OTHER OF THE TUBES AND THENCE THROUGH THE SPACE BETWEEN THE RECEPTACLES TO THE LOWER END OF THE FIRST TUBE. 